Each of the four essays reprinted here was written for a specific
occasion and together comprise only the smallest selection from a
larger corpus questioning commodity and energy-intensive economies.
The essays are presented thematically instead of chronologically to
offer a better view of the sweep of Illich's argument. In the first
two, “War against Subsistence” and “Shadow Work,” Illich
reveals both the ruins on which the economy is built and the blindness
of economics which cannot but fail to see it. The second two essays,
“Energy and Equity” and “The Social Construction of Energy,”
unearth the nineteenth century invention and subsequent consequences
of 'energy' thought of as the unseen cause of all 'work' whether done
by steam engines, humans, or trees. The science of ecology relies on
this assumption and, as Illich explained, unwittingly fuels the
addiction to energy. The close dance of energy consumption and
economic growth is characteristic of not just industrially geared
societies. After all, energy consumption steadily increases even in
so-called post-industrial societies, fueling the fortunes of Google
and Apple no less than Wal-Mart.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780714523606
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Marion Boyars
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter